Oakland County commissioner: Axing paid sick days is wrong

Members of Working America and Mothering Justice, a statewide organization dedicated to empowering mothers to influence policy, delivered petitions ? against two Michigan Congress bills limiting local government control on leave days for employees ? to legislators Wednesday, wearing surgical masks and carrying signs reading ?MI State Legislators Are Making Us Sick,? and, ?Take Our Germs to Work Day.?(Photo submitted)

As thousands of Michigan residents delivered petitions voicing their support for paid sick days this week in Lansing, local workers and dignitaries agreed a bill that could limit local government is wrong.

"Solving problems in our own communities is why we have local government in the first place," said Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak. "Lansing politicians need to stop fighting against earned paid sick leave and stop preventing locals from solving problems; instead they could help us protect the public health and improve working conditions in our area."

The petitions -- delivered Wednesday morning to the state legislature and Michigan Restaurant Association -- oppose two congressional bills that would take away the rights of local governments to adopt popular paid sick-days laws. The state bills, sponsored by Jackson County's Rep. Earl Poleski and Kent County Sen. Mark Jansen, was recently voted out of committee.

If passed, the bills would prohibit municipalities from creating ordinances requiring employers to provide paid or unpaid leave that is not required under federal or state law.

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Watch a report on the paid leave bill during today's News at Noon.

On Thursday, Commissioner Woodward said the issue in question is this: Should people who are sick be required to work or lose their jobs?

"Oakland County serves thousands of meals a year to people," Woodward said. "We sign agreements with a vendor. ... It's appropriate that the county should be able to put requirements on our vendors to say sick people shouldn't be serving people food and they won't be fired if they miss a day. ... If you're sick, don't serve me a burger."

He said Lansing should step up and fix the problem. If lawmakers refuse, he said, they shouldn't prevent local communities from coming up with their own solutions.

State Rep. Earl Poleski, a sponsor for HB 4249, said he doesn't see it that way.

"Let's be clear ... (the bill) would prohibit any local government form requiring an employer within its jurisdiction to have a specific leave policy," Poleksi said Thursday. "I'm not suggesting that it's a good thing that employees show up sick. ... But who is better to determine leave policy for employees -- the employer, or local government?

"More specifically, I think it's inappropriate for local government to compel those policies."

Nearly one in four workers in the United States reports being fired or threatened with job loss for taking time off work to recover from illness or care for a sick family member, according to data provided by advocacy group Mothering Justice.

Graham Kovich, who previously waited tables for Maggiano's Little Italy in Troy, said he was required to find someone to work his shift.

"It's up to you to find someone to work your shift," said Kovich, 30. "If you couldn't, you were given a day off, but you were looked upon as burdensome. This is how it is throughout the industry."

Kovich has been in the food service industry for nearly 16 years, and he's seen many co-workers come to work in fear of backlash or financial detriment.

"You're basically paying not to work. ... The money you spend going to the doctor and losing a day of pay from taking a day off work -- because you're not compensated for the sick day -- can be a huge hit on your finances," he added. "It's basically an investment without a return."

Danielle Atkinson, director of Mothering Justice, which circulated the petition, said: "These politicians talk about family values and the virtues of local governance, and here they are pushing through heavy-handed legislation that takes away rights of local governments and will make it more difficult for working parents to take care of their kids and support their families."

Atkinson, from Royal Oak, said it's not for the Michigan legislature to tell local governments what they can and cannot do.

Poleski said he understands that not everyone can be at work every day. However, he added, it's employers who have to meet customers' needs every day, and they should be the entities working with their employees to determine appropriate leave policies.

"This bill is in the interest of making sure that employees get hired," he said, "and in the interests of Michigan, it's better to have a clear rule that says locals cannot have these sorts of ordinances (requiring leave time). ... It makes hiring people and making investments in the state easier."

Some lawmakers and business leaders around the country are supporting paid sick time, touting a policy that they say strengthens the economy by keeping people in their jobs. In March, Portland, Ore., became the fourth city to adopt a paid sick-days law, and New York City may soon become the fifth. There are also bills regarding leave time in Vermont and Massachusetts.